It isn’t no easy task finding the best board games for teens. So many variables in terms of likes, dislikes, attention span, patience and boredom levels and a whole lot of other stuff that teenagers have to wrestle with.
Themed games can work well, or something more challenging for those brainy teens, then games that are purely fun and laughter are best suited for certain types, or fast paced with a short play time suits many.
We’ve put together a cool selection of the best board games for teenagers from the age of 13 – 19 that aim to please.
Top 10 Board Games for Teenagers
Let’s take a look at some of the best, popular, not so popular and a couple that attract a certain teenagers taste in tabletop games.
7 Wonders Duel – Best Two Player
Launched in 2015, 7 Wonders Duel involves players leading a civilization and collecting cards to construct wonders and buildings over the course of three ages. The game involves players acquiring cards that either boost their military, aid scientific development or add resources. This supports the development of your civilization to complete 27 wonders.
7 Wonders Duel at a Glance
Game Type Card Game City Building Civilization | Play Time 30 mins (approx) | Skill/Complexity (3.5 - 5) Above average in complexity. Not for beginners in strategy based games. |
Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Respos Productions | Published 2015 |
Categories 2 Player / Strategy | Players 2 Players | Rules Manual US Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9.5/10 | Cost $29.99 approx |
7 Wonders is ideal for teenagers that want to engage in more developed strategy games that require thinking skills and some complexity.
Players immerse themselves and get lost in this fast-paced civilization building game without concern of time, although a round of the game can be completed in 30 minutes or so. Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging that’s ideal for the slightly more serious teen gamers.
Trekking The National Parks – Best Family and Teens Outdoorsy Game
Would you like the sense of trekking trails and canoeing in swampy waters with alligators while playing a board game? Well, Trekking The National Parks is the game to play. Teenagers of all ages and above with their families love much about this card drafting type game.
Trekking the National Parks at a Glance
Game Type Outdoor Theme Point to Point Movement Travel Card Drafting | Play Time 30 - 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light Complexity |
Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Bink Ink LLC Underdog Games | Published 2018 |
Categories Teens / Family | Players 2 - 5 (4 is perfect) | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9/10 | Cost Approx $49.99 |
It offers subtle complexity in terms of how to beat the other players and has strong replay value. An adventure game like this keeps players engaged while really enjoying aspects of the theme that bring it alive and tactical decisions that make them think.
A game all families with youngsters aged 10 or over might want to consider.
Quelf – Party and Laugh at each other Obeying
Relax, Quelf is a board game that’s purely about fun, and a lot of it. You must Obey is the main rule and who knows what stupid stuff you’ll have to do next to stay in the game. You could be singing, dancing, or answering a ridiculous trivia question on your next round, and the great thing is you get to watch the next person do their obeying.
Quelf at a Glance
Game Type Party Trivia Acting (i,e,. singing, dancing, performing etc.) Roll and Move | Play Time 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (1 - 5) Non-Complex (just have fun) |
Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Spinmaster Games, Wiggity Bang Games and others | Published 2005 |
Categories Family / Party / Teens | Players 4 - 8 + | Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 7/10 | Cost Approx $29.95 |
Quelf is a simple game to set up with a board and roll the die then move. It’s the stuff in between that makes this a party game that’s ideal for families and has youngsters rolling around in fits of laughter. It’s not the most top rated of games, however, for this teenagers category it’s a perfect fit. It’s a simplistic fun and laughter board game!
Spontaneous – Sing It or Shout It
Like the game above Quelf this is a simplistic party game that’s all about having a laugh which i found perfect for our teenagers, and as a silly family pastime thing. As the box states you don’t need to be talented to play, just sing how you like. Spontuneous uses a board and dice to get you around the game, and can be played with anyone above the age of 8.
Spontuneous at a Glance
Game Type Music Theme Party Word Association | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1 - 5) Non-Complex |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Spontuneous Games | Published 2010 |
Categories Party / Family Kids | Players 4 - 10 | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 8.5/10 | Cost $29.99 + |
There’s no complexity to this game. All it requires is players to be up for having fun and the more that come to play ‘the more the merrier’ makes it more fun.
Do not worry if can’t or don’t want to sing, just SHOUT the name of the song!
Relative Insanity – Best Humorous Party Game
Another party game well worth a mention is the card game ‘Relative Insanity’ which is all about making all family members belly laugh out loud. It’s designed to be played with family member’s and friends as the set up and punchline cards relate to family.
Relative Insanity at a Glance
Game Type Party Card Game | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1 - 5) Non-Complex (just have fun) |
Age 14+ | Publisher(s) PlayMonster | Published 2017 |
Categories Family / Party / Teens | Players 4 - 12 | Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 7/10 | Cost Approx $14.95 |
I would like to offer caution to those that are easily offended as some statements or words may not be everyone’s idea of fun. It’s not quite as vulgar as Cards Against Humanity that some players have felt about that game but it does edge toward that, at times. For some families that are open with language including light sexual stuff it ‘s a barrel of laughs.
It’s a crazy game intended to make people laugh a lot at themselves and others, but not for the more conservative and younger teens.
Ticket to Ride – Best family and Teen All-Rounder
The award winning Ticket To Ride still holds one of the top spots within the family category of board games despite being released in 2004. This cross country train themed game takes players on an adventure while collecting train car cards enabling players to claim railway routes that connect cities within North America (other versions around the world are also available now).
Ticket to Ride at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Card Drafting, Network and Route Building | Play Time 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light to Medium |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Days of Wonder | Published 2004 |
Categories Family / Strategy | Players 2 - 5 | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9/10 | Cost $49.99 |
Ticket To Ride can be a great introduction to the world of better played board games then maybe onto more complex games. It suits just about everyone from a non-gamer to the guys over at board games geek, and of course teenagers playing with family or friends.
While set up is very simple and the rules can be picked up in no time – getting good at it takes much longer that gives it excellent replay value.
Phone Phever – Blend your Smartphone
I know i am always trying to encourage our youth to reduce their time of mobile devices and do activities with real humans, but Phone Phever is pretty cool as it blends the best of both worlds. It’s a trivia based game so there is an educational aspect and the need to use your mind and phone.
Phone Phever at a Glance
Game Type Trivia with Mobile Roll and Move | Play Time 30 mins + | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Trivia Knowledge |
Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Bear Mountain Games | Published 2015 |
Categories Trivia / Family / Party | Players 3 - 10 + | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 7/10 | Cost $29.99 approx |
An excellent aspect of this game if you’re knowledgeable is you may answer correctly without googleing the answer which guarantees you to answer first, moving you forward in the game ahead of other players. Being Tech savvy can kind of win the game, but then again knowing the idea of the trivia question before searching gets you way ahead of others that are iphone user experts.
It’s a blast for all the family, and it’s ideal for those age 13 or over. I didn’t realize smartphones and a board game could mix so well.
Last Night on Earth – Best Zombie Game for Teens
As this category is geared towards teens how could a game including Zombies not be included. Being a thematic game it does attract those that like anything themed on horrors and of course Zombies, although anyone that enjoys a good board game with a medium level of complexity can get into playing the Last Night on Earth.
Last Night on Earth at a Glance
Game Type Thematic Horror Zombies Dice Rolling Roll and Move | Play Time 60 - 90 mins | Skill/Complexity (3 - 5) Medium in Complexity Requires Luck and light Strategy, but remains Fun |
Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Flying Frog Productions | Published 2007 |
Categories Family / Teens / Thematic / Strategy | Players 2 - 6 | Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 7/10 | Cost Approx $46.95 |
The cards used to play can be very funny and does give you the feel of the movie. There is more strategy involved when you’re a hero rather than a zombie although zombies do need to coordinate their card play. Having five scenarios that can be played out adds to the replay value of this game.
Excellent choice for teenagers that love zombie themed stuff or light strategy, or even both.
Monopoly Fortnite Edition – Fortnite Fans
Inspired by the video game ‘Fortnite’ that teenagers around the world became obsessed at playing the Fortnite edition of Monopoly published in 2018 has been a hit among teens. Rather than the aim of the game being to own houses and hotels like the original classic Monopoly game, Fortnite is all about survival while claiming locations and battling opponents.
Monopoly Fortnite at a Glance
Game Type Thematic Dice Rolling Roll and Move Player Elimination | Play Time 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.5 - 5) Non-Complex |
Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Hasbro | Published 2018 |
Categories Family / Teens / Thematic | Players 2 - 7 | Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 7/10 | Cost Approx $14.95 |
There’s no need for a lot of cash in this edition , however, you do need plenty of health points to survive. There’s an action die that enables players to pick up health packs and other benefits and numbered die, which makes these variants of the classic game more fun in a sense for teenagers.
If you enjoy the classic Monopoly and or have teenagers that are fans of the video game ‘Fortnite’ then it’s worth checking this version out.
Unstable Unicorns – Best Party
Unstable Unicorns is a Kickstarter crowdfunded game that came on the market in 2017 and become a hit straight off the press. It’s a straight forward card tabletop game without a board that’s based on those cute Unicorns that teens have being going crazy about for some time now.
Unstable Unicorns at a Glance
Game Type Card Game Party & Humor | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.5 - 5) Non-Complex |
Age 14+ | Publisher(s) TeeTurtle, Unstable Games and others | Published 2017 |
Categories Family / Teens / Party | Players 3 - 6 | Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 8.5/10 | Cost Approx $19.95 |
The object of the game is to build an army of Unicorns and protect each of them in the stable, possibly with magic until the stable has the correct limit of these wonderful creatures. This game does appeal to teenager daughters more so than the boys although many boys do love it. It’s a lot like the game Exploding Kittens, but there is more skill and thought involved when playing this game. There is more to Unstable Unicorns that meets they eye, but it isn’t complex.
Pandemic – Cooperate with Players
This medical themed game has a short play time of 45 + minutes that’s perfect for families playing. The working together to prevent diseases becoming an epidemic makes working together make perfect sense, and teenagers around the world connect very well to the game.
Pandemic at a Glance
Game Type Cooperative, Medical Theme, Action Points, Point to Point Movement, Variable Player Powers | Play Time 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Z-Man Games | Published 2008 |
Categories Strategy Family | Players 2 - 4 | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9.3/10 | Cost $39.99 |
Pandemic requires co-operation, players will need to work together and that is a skill in itself. Cooperative play, trading and point to point movement are mechanisms within the game and so, these could prove difficult for very young players, however, for those that want some complexity this is a game to play.
Quick Summary
I have only included the top ten rather than give you a list of many as this keeps choosing pretty tight and accurate, I hope.
There’s a board game to suit every teenager from humorous Quelf or Relative Insanity, to something with complexity and introducing youngsters to complex games like Pandemic and 7 Wonders Duel and then the awesome family games – Ticket To Ride and Trekking the National Parks.
Themed games have a way of getting teens into tabletop games which is why i added Monopoly Fortnite and Last Night on Earth (Zombie game).